Wearable Prototype: Crash Helmet

By Varun Gupta (varung1) and Craig Morey (cmorey)

We wanted to make a project that would be helpful to cyclists in Pittsburgh. After interviewing local cyclists and doing some research into what sorts of accessories are already on the market, we decided to move away from the crowded field of utility and safety gadgets, and instead design something more symbolic.

The Crash Helmet is designed to mark out places where people have been killed while cycling in Pittsburgh. Currently, the helmet uses the location of the recent death of cyclist Susan Hicks near Forbes and Bellefield.

The Crash Helmet takes the form of a LightBlue Bean attached to a bike helmet. The Bean pairs with an iPhone over Bluetooth, and lights up four red LEDs when the iPhone comes within 20 meters of the crash site.

(pictures can be viewed on Google Drive at Images)